|
 For
centuries the Kingdom of Nepal was divided
into many principalities. Kirats ruled in
the east, the Newars in the Kathmandu Valley,
while Gurungs and Magars occupied the mid-west.
The Kirats ruled from 300 B.C. and during
their reign, emperor Ashoka arrived from
India to build a pillar at Lumbini in memory
of Lord Buddha. The Lichhavis whose descendants
today are believed to be the Newars of the
Kathmandu Valley followed the Kirats. During
this period, art thrived in Nepal and many
of the beautiful woodcarvings and sculptures
that are found in the country belong to
this era. With the end of the Lichhavi dynasty,
Malla kings came to power in 1200 AD and
they also con tribute tremendously to Nepal's
art and culture. However, after almost 600
years of rule, the kings were not united
among themselves and during the late 11th
century, Prithvi Narayan Shah, King of Gorkha,
conquered Kathmandu and united Nepal into
one kingdom. Recognizing the threat of the
British rule in India, he dismissed European
missionaries from the country and for more
than a century, Nepal remained in isolation.
During the mid-I9th century Jung Bahadur
Rana became Nepal's first prime minister
to wield absolute power. He set up an oligarchy
and the Shah Kings remained figureheads.
The Ranas were overthrown in a democracy
movement of the early 1950s. Today, Nepal
enjoys a multi party democratic system with
a constitutional Monarch. |
